Chapter 15: Subconscious Reaction

"Are you really that pessimistic about humanity?"

"It’s less pessimism and more disappointment!"

"Then do you truly believe war is inevitable?"

"It’s blindingly obvious!"

"You should join my staff. Those blockheads at the academy only learned how to use a knife and fork. Many of them have even accepted bribes and lobbying from Zeon intelligence agents in private. You know, just yesterday, an intelligence officer swore to me that the Zeons would certainly accept the Federation's terms, choose to disband their military, and restore peace!"

"And what about now?"

"I promoted the guy and transferred him to Iffish Island in Side 2!"

"Uh, nice place!"

"So, stop worrying all day long. It’s not like a space colony is going to fall from the sky!"

"How do you know it won't? If I were a Zeon, I wouldn't just throw a colony at Earth; I'd find an asteroid to drop as well! Let’s all go up in flames—nobody gets to live!"

"Enough. What’s the point of saying all this? You aren't on the Zeon General Staff, nor are you a tapeworm in the gut of that son of a beach, Gihren. Go back and fix your tank!"

"Understood, General. I shall take my leave then!"

"Go on. Oh, wait—your headmaster says you were running a betting pool on the exercise winners and made tens of thousands. Is that true or false?"

"False, General. You know me; I always keep the vision of being a model, honest, kind, brave, fearless, and selfless Federation soldier at the core of my heart!"

Macarius said this, though of course, if someone insisted on giving him money, he couldn't very well refuse. After all, accepting the outcome of a bet is a virtue, too!

"That’s more like it. Go on, get out of here!"

After leaving the headquarters, Macarius hurried to the combat readiness garage. At this moment, the armored corps cadets were meticulously inspecting the vehicles delivered there under the guidance of veterans from the garrison forces. As the unit first equipped with the M61A2 tanks, the garrison's heavy armored battalion had accumulated quite a bit of experience in how to operate them, and the veterans were naturally not holding anything back from their juniors.

Not to mention, many of these veterans had already crossed paths with the cadets.

"The Red Dragon Team, huh? Old acquaintances. Back when they were doing field training, I personally kicked their captain's butt!"

"Impressive. I heard their captain is a real powerhouse; I didn't expect you to be even tougher!"

"Don't listen to his bragging. He’s never won any of the professional competitions; he just relies on his muscles to bully the kids during physical training!"

"Kids? The captain of the Red Dragon Team?"

"Yeah, look, that’s him right there!"

A veteran recognized Macarius, who was wearing his service uniform, and called out to him.

"Red Dragon One, don't you dare embarrass us during the exercise!"

"Yeah! Kick those Zeon pretty boys' butts!"

"Count on it. Leave it to me, you have nothing to worry about!"

"Is this guy really that good?"

"It’s not just 'good.' Since he entered the academy, he’s fought in 75 exercises without a single death. Just the number of enemy targets he’s destroyed in training alone is over three hundred. One time, he even used his main gun to shoot down a low-flying Swordfish fighter!"

"Wait, are the current cadets monsters? How is that even possible?"

The garrison soldiers had occasionally served as the whetstone for the Zeon military academy cadets. Both sides had their wins and losses in exercises, but generally speaking, regardless of whether they won or lost, it was always a frustrating experience. There was no helping it; there was a gap between the quality of the Zeon military academy cadets and the average grunt. Because the scale was small and there was only one such academy, the training was extremely rigorous—any one of them could be a jack-of-all-trades.

But now, the Federation had also brought in a batch of its own elite warriors. Beyond the Armored Academy's Red Dragon Team, there were top-tier students from other military institutions. And because joint exercises had become a routine, coordination between the cadets wasn't an issue, as many of them already knew each other.

Thus, the garrison soldiers were looking forward to this exercise, as they would be acting as referees. If those Zeon cadets made a fool of themselves, they would be able to mock them mercilessly!

And so, with everyone’s anticipation, the exercise finally began!

Although the combined scale of both sides was only about that of a reinforced battalion, the entire schedule was not short—it spanned over ten days. The first day, however, was a very formulaic affair.

The Federation cadets were kicked out of bed at six in the morning. After washing up, they were served a lavish feast. To ensure the cadets were well-fed and strong, the kitchen had started preparing the meal the night before. The most eye-catching dish was a specialty of the Side 3 garrison—a "super stew." The massive pot was filled to the brim with various meats and not a single vegetable. It was known as the "Athlete’s Pot," a dish adapted from local Side 3 recipes. Because Side 3 was a heavy industrial colony, local manual laborers would make a stew to reward themselves after a hard day's work, and the garrison canteen had adopted the practice.

"Eat up. Who knows when you'll get your next meal today!"

"Why? Isn't the morning just for speeches and watching the parade?"

"Sure, but you never know how long the speeches will last! Don't forget, there’s a whole crowd of media here today!"

A simple exercise wouldn't normally waste time on an opening ceremony, but the problem was that their exercise served a political purpose. When they saw the Zeon leader, Gihren Zabi, wearing his dress uniform and his exquisitely embroidered cape, walking onto the stage built in front of the Zeon Military Academy like a victorious general, the Federation cadets who hadn't listened to Macarius regretted it. The man could really talk! From the founding of the Zeon Academy to the hardships along the way and the various prospects for the future—Macarius only understood four words from the entire speech: "Sieg Zeon!" But it could not be denied that the man’s ability to incite the crowd was top-notch. The Zeon cadets, standing in symmetry with the Federation cadets, were as fired up as if they had been injected with adrenaline. When the speech concluded, they fanatically shouted, "Sieg Zeon!"

The scale of the sound was so immense that even the Federation generals sitting behind the podium began to look uneasy.

The cadets standing below naturally felt the heavy, provocative weight of it.

"This guy is trying to intimidate us!"

"Then shouldn't we hit back hard?"

"Everyone, I have a plan!"

Macarius stood perfectly still and whispered to the commander of the infantry academy beside him.

After Gihren finished, General Revil, acting as the spokesperson for the Federation military, delivered a speech. When General Revil concluded, a command rang out from the Federation cadet ranks.

"Attention! Present arms!"

Then, a scene that turned Gihren’s face ash-gray occurred: upon hearing the command, the Zeon cadets instinctively followed suit. The scene transformed into both sides of the cadets saluting General Revil.

General Revil, with a hint of pride in his smile, returned the salute to the cadets of both sides.